Client devices, such as personal computers, are widely used to generate complex print processing jobs containing text, graphics and images using software application programs such as word processing and desktop publishing. Multi-function devices (MFD's), such as printers and copiers, provide users with the ability to output these print processing jobs utilizing a wide variety of features such as print speed, print quality, paper size, paper source (auto, upper, lower, manual), copy count, orientation (landscape or portrait), color, grayscale, stapling, duplexing, sorting, and others.
In order for a client device to send a print processing job to a MFD, whether the MFD is connected directly to the client device or connected to a network, an MFD driver is typically installed on the client device. The MFD driver performs a number of basic functions such as: 1) compiling a print processing job using the job processing commands of the MFD; and 2) communicating the print processing job and status information between the client device and the MFD. Compilation of the print processing job includes enabling the user to program specific features of the MFD, such as media tray selection, duplexing options, print parameters, and the like.
In previously known MFD systems, once an application program has generated a file for print job processing, the application program issues a job processing request to the operating system on the client device. The processing request contains information identifying the file to be processed and the type of processing requested. The operating system passes the job data parameters to the MFD driver. The MFD driver formats the job according to the capabilities and features of the particular MFD and transfers the formatted job to the MFD for processing. The MFD driver may also display job processing options and accept user selections through a graphical user interface (GUI). Once settings are confirmed and/or selected, the MFD driver formats the print processing job in accordance with the selected options and then transfers the formatted job to the MFD for processing.
In a network environment, multiple client devices may be able to access one or more MFDs coupled to the network. In this situation, a MFD driver for each MFD is typically installed on each client device to provide all of the client devices with equal access to the same capabilities and features of the MFD. In some environments, equal access to all features of a MFD may present resource issues. For instance, in some environments such as legal, educational, or business environments, allowing all users to print color documents on an MFD is both impractical and uneconomical. Color toners and ink are more expensive than black ink and color jobs require more time to process than black and white jobs. In another example, MFDs often have multiple trays containing various media, such as different size or quality paper, transparencies, card stock, etc. Obviously, some types of media, such as high quality paper, can be very expensive, and allowing all users access to high quality paper can become costly.
One method for addressing this issue is to couple more than one MFD to a computer network and install only one MFD driver on each client device. If one MFD has a tray with high quality paper and the other one does not, the client devices having the MFD driver for the MFD without the high quality paper cannot access the MFD having the more expensive resource. This approach, however, is more expensive to implement because it requires multiple MFDs and each MFD must be configured differently. For example, a separate MFD driver that can control the color printing feature of an MFD is provided for client devices that are authorized to print color documents, while a second version of the driver is installed in client devices authorized to print black and white documents only. Alternatively, each client device may be configured to only recognize one MFD or the other. This requires a system administrator to configure the client devices individually and maintain data regarding the appropriate configuration for a client device. Savvy users, however, may attempt to overcome this restriction by reprogramming the control panel setup on the client device to recognize multiple MFDs on the network. Thus, this approach may not effectively preclude the user from accessing MFDs with capabilities not required for the user's work.
What is needed is a way of restricting client device access to MFD resources over a computer network without requiring multiple MFDs with different capabilities to be coupled to the network.
What is needed is a way of restricting client device access to MFD resources over a computer network without requiring the system administrator to configure each client device at the client device on the network.